Bella, Wait!
by Fruitey
Summary: Bella Swan's life hasn't been the same after the song "Bella, Wait!". After she breaks up with Jacob, he writes the song that suddenly makes her famous. All Bella wants is to be normal and maybe score a date with cutie Edward Cullen--but how? All human.
1. Chapter 1

Here's another new story—I'll try to update quickly! Hope you enjoy! Review and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. The plot comes from _Audrey, Wait_ by Robin Benway. (It's a really good book, if you're looking for something to read!)

I usually know when I'm dreaming—my subconscious is aware. I wish I could say that this horrible thing I now call my life was a dream, that I'd wake up any minute and be a normal teenager again, living with Charlie in peace, not hiding while I was in the shower, that kind of thing. I forced Alice to pinch me twice to make sure this wasn't some excruciatingly long nightmare, and she knows how much I hate pinches. Seriously, squeezing your skin until it hurts, it's awful. But anyway, it seems that Alice has finally grasped how desperate I am for this to be part of my imagination.

But, being my lucky self, it's not.

Everyone had heard the song by now. Mike, Ben, Eric, even my _father._ It was a humiliating aspect to have Charlie listen to the song while the evil DJ explained the lyrics, loudly, if I might add. I'm sure that having a song written about his daughter's breakup with her (now ex-) boyfriend wasn't in the plan when I first moved to Forks.

And okay, I guess I should admit now that the only reason I moved to Forks in the first place was to avoid the song, and annoying paparazzi. But lo and behold, they found me as soon as I settled into my old-new home. And Charlie wasn't too thrilled, let me tell you.

But let's back up for a minute. You're probably very confused by this point, and I don't blame you. In fact, you can join the club. I've been confused, angry; you name it, all in the course of forty-eight hours.

The night I broke up with Jacob was the night he wrote the song. You know, _the_ song, the song that skyrocketed to number one in practically one day. I'm sure you've heard it before—_everyone_ who's turned on the radio, any station at all, has heard it. Which includes my whole school, and probably the entire Olympic Peninsula, a fact I tried hard not to dwell on. However, it's hard not to dwell on something when everyone is calling out your name or breaking out into song in the hallways.

"Bella...I don't understand. Are you sure about this?" Jake had sniffled. We'd been in his room, on the bed, though not _in_ the bed, I promise you. I had no intentions of that anytime soon.

I nodded. I'd been thinking about breaking up with Jacob for a while now. It's not that he's a bad guy—he's nice, funny, cute, exciting—but he was sort of overwhelming. Jacob's in a band called Rock Square, with members Jared, Paul, Embry, Quil, and Sam as their manager, but I'll get to that part later. The thing about Jacob's band is that they don't actually suck, unlike the other "bands" forming in the town. They booked gigs in some local hotspots and were pretty good, but not great. Not until Jacob got in his heartbroken-mushy-gushy mood, anyway, and wrote the song. My song.

I handed a box of tissues to Jake, though he pushed them away, and waited awkwardly for him to say something. I felt bad, and slightly guilty, though Alice had pounded in my head that only sensitive morons felt guilty. Jacob was a great guy. Just...maybe not such a great boyfriend.

Like whenever we went out, he was either talking about the band, telling jokes about the band, or thinking about ideas for the band. It was all about the band, and while I was truly happy for him and Rock Square, I felt oddly lonely, like he didn't care about me like a boyfriend should. Maybe I'm selfish, but he didn't provide much attention, so it was a moot point.

"Bella, please say you're shitting me. I have a gig tonight, and this is totally blowing my mood."

"I'm sorry, Jake," I said. I meant it.

Jake waved a hand, like I was being sarcastic. "Is it me? Am I treating you wrong?"

"No, it's not you, Jake, it's me." The world's most famous breakup line. I hoped he didn't keep tabs.

"I've heard that one before," he huffed. Damn. I sighed, readjusting my position on the bed, careful not to get closer to him and throw him out of whack. Jake didn't seem to notice. He didn't notice a lot about me, actually. Once we were talking on the phone and I shouted, "Holy crow, there's a thief in the house!" and he kept on going on and on about why Sam was being an ass. I mean, come on. I'm a pretty easygoing person, but that is where I draw the line.

"Well...can we still be friends?" Jake finally asked. I lit up. Friends would be fine. Friends would be great. Friends eventually let go of each other.

"Sure, I'd love that," I enthused. Oops. I didn't want to give him mixed signals. Jake was oblivious, however, so my worries went unnoticed. What a surprise.

"So...will you come tonight? To the show?"

Crap. When we were together, I made every one of his shows. _Every one._ I'd say I'm a pretty supportive girlfriend. I used to wait backstage and whisper words of encouragement, but now I would be in the audience. I was definitely not going alone, but I wasn't about to tell Jacob that.

"Yeah, of course." I'd bring Alice and her boyfriend, Jasper. They'd like that.

"Okay. Thanks. So...see you tonight?"

I was getting just a little uncomfortable as his words sank in. "See you tonight" was commonly used for dates, and I didn't want him to think we were still on.

I nodded and walked out, taking deep breaths, and pressing my fingers to my temple. I had to talk to Alice—she always made me feel better.

"Bella, wait!" Jacob called as I dashed downstairs, leaving Jacob's room, and house, for that matter, for the final time. I pretended I didn't hear him and slammed the door.

"It's about time!" Alice said when I'd told her about the breakup.

"What?" I gasped. Alice had an uncanny ability to predict things, and they were creepily accurate.

"I mean, you've stayed with him for way too long. I don't know where you get so much patience—I would've dropped him like _that_." She snapped her fingers for emphasis. Alice had very high standards.

"But, did you like, predict that we would split?" I asked uncertainly.

Alice scoffed. "Sweetie, anyone could've predicted that. I mean, Jake's alright, but you're way out of his league."

I scoffed. "It's me you're talking about, right?"

"Shut up, Bells. You know you're better than him."

"I am not. We're just different, and he wasn't the best boyfriend, so—"

"You liar. He wasn't just 'not the best boyfriend', he was the _worst_ boyfriend. Did he ever wink at you or smile at you when he saw you? Did he ever compliment you? Oh, this is a good one: Did he ever use a complete sentence and not brag about his band?"

"He smiled at me. And complimented me—remember my boots? He said they were pointy."

"Bella, let me introduce you to The Point. You're missing it." I could almost feel Alice's smile radiating off the phone. She was full of those kinds of phrases. "And besides, calling boots _pointy_ is _not_ a compliment. Those were vintage—he has no style sense. If Jasper ever said something to me like that, I'd throw something at him."

We'd been talking in front of my house, all glammed up for the show tonight. Remember when I said Jacob got lots of gigs at local hotspots? Well, the most popular is Bayside Shack (though there is no bay anywhere, much less on the side, near Forks, so the name is quite random). It's basically a local hangout, open Friday through Sunday, and it's packed with the student body of Forks High School.

"What should Jasper never say?" Jasper came up behind Alice, putting his hands over her eyes like you would in peek-a-boo. I felt sort of awkward standing there as they snuggled and kissed, and for a second my mind went to Jacob. Not like he'd display some PA (public affection), but still, it's nice to think about the potential.

I didn't want to feel like a third wheel tonight, so, selfishly, I interrupted them. "So, Jazz, did you make that CD?"

Jasper broke away from Alice to grin at me. "You know it! I've never met someone as crazy as you, Bella. Couldn't you just get an iPod like all the normal people in the world?"

He was referring to my insane collection of mix CDs, of course. Unlike "all the normal people in the world," as he said, I didn't like iPods. I mean, if some genius came up with CDs, why did we have to launch further into technology and invent iPods and iPod shuffles and mp3's? Some inventions are useful, like speakers and telephones, but really, why go explore science further? I made mix CDs, (I hated buying CDs in the store when there's just one artist, what's the creativity in that?) and when someone offered to make one for me, it just about made my day. Jasper had requested he make one for me since he had forgotten my birthday last month, which I didn't care about, but he insisted and I couldn't say no to music.

"What's the fun in that? Those circle-y scroll-y thingies are really annoying. They irritate my thumbs."

Jasper laughed. "Whatever. I have it in the car—we can blast it on the way to Bayside."

"Okay," I nodded. Alice giggled excitedly as we climbed in his Jeep and turned the music on full volume. Alice _loved_ her music loud, like chest-pounding, ears-falling-off loud. I, on the other hand, preferred music to fade into background music, but I didn't object.

"So, Bella, why are you coming with us? Not that we don't want you here, I'm just curious why you're not going backstage with Rock Square, that's all." Jasper was quick to explain, not wanting to offend me. I hesitated. He misunderstood and continued torturing himself.

"I mean, _ag,_ I'm happy you're coming with us, don't get me wrong, because you're fun and everything, but—"

"Calm down, Jazz," Alice said. I giggled, because usually it was _Jasper_ telling _Alice_ those words. Jasper smiled at her dreamily. Alice's eyes sparkled as she explained my lame story. "Bella's not going backstage 'cause she must've fell into the clouds and finally got some sense knocked into her. She broke up with Jacob."

Jasper, who wasn't one for gossip, shocked me a little when his jaw dropped. "Right before the gig?" He choked out. "That's harsh!"

Alice smacked the back of his head, though he was driving, and rolled her eyes. "Boys," she muttered.

"Why?" Jasper demanded me, ignoring Alice.

"He was just...too absorbed. In his band, I mean."

"Well yeah, he's gotta be dedicated, Bella, he's—"

"Jazz! Can you try to see Bella's side of this?"

"Sorry," Jasper pretended to zip his lips and imitated throwing out the key.

"Keep your hands on the wheel!" I cried. It always scared me when he did those kinds of things nonchalantly, like he wasn't driving a vehicle speedily down the highway and could crash into another car any second.

"So, Bella, who's next in line?" Alice chirped, eyes wide, ignoring my spasm.

"What do you mean?"

"Your next _boyfriend_," Alice said like it was obvious. I blushed but tried to act like I hadn't heard her.

"I just dumped Jacob, Alice. I'm not looking for a rebound guy."

"I'm not an idiot, Bella. I know you're interested in someone, not for a rebound, but because you actually like him. Who is he?"

"I don't like anyone," I mumbled uselessly. Alice would find out in about two seconds, anyway. She gave me a look.

"I don't _like _him, I just think he's nice."

Alice cheered, now that she had gotten to me. "Who is he?"

I glanced at Jasper warily. He pretended not to listen, but I saw the corners of his lips pull up.

"Well I work with him," I hinted. Alice's eyes widened in understanding. Let me just say right now that my job is probably the most pitiful job in Forks. Its name should be illegal. Get this—it's called Sunshine Cows. It sounds like some ad for spoiled milk, right? Or perhaps a therapy center, where I'll probably be going after all that's happened these last few days? But anyway, it's a coffee shop. Not like Starbucks—it isn't famous or half as good. It's a local shop, er _Shoppe_.

"What's his name again?" Alice asked, her lip pouting like she was disappointed she'd forgotten.

"Edward."

"Oh, that's right. Most of your customers go there just for him and his hotness," she announced. Jasper stuck out his tongue while I threw her a look. It's not like I didn't know that already.

"He may be 'hot' but he has no friends," Jasper said heartlessly. Alice smacked his head again. This time he dodged it.

"Don't be so mean!" Alice scolded. I grimaced. When I'd first worked with him, I was almost overwhelmed with his gorgeousness. He had beautiful tousled bronze hair and his _eyes_. Those eyes blew me away. I hadn't known he'd gone to our school before I talked to him, something I felt really bad about after. Edward was quiet at first, but soon I got him to open up a little. We weren't exactly friends, but we were getting there. I tried not to think about the things I did before I liked him, like tripping over my two feet and having a sneezing fit that lasted five million years longer that it should've.

"What? I can't stand having you talk about other guys—I'm just jealous that way." Jasper smiled at Alice playfully. I hadn't realized we'd parked, but here we were, right in front of the Bayside Shack. It all felt normal, like it did every Friday night.

Hah. Normal. I missed those days.

Because as we went inside and danced and flailed our arms, that was when it happened. That was when Rock Square, well, basically Jacob, announced their new song. The song that made everyone in America know my name, but not know who I _was_. The song that had people in school drooling over my picture, begging for autographs even though I hadn't even _written_ the stupid thing.

The song called "Bella, Wait."

**Did you like it? Hate it? Let me know!**

**REVIEWS MAKE MY DAY! WINKIE!!**


	2. Chapter 2

Yola my lovely readers! Sorry for not updating earlier, but here I am, update and all! Ignore my dorkiness—read on! Hope you enjoy!

Oh, and I wrote the song by myself. Creative, yes?

Disclaimer: No, I do not own Twilight!!

"Hey guys, we're Rock Square." Jacob has grabbed the microphone. I had to admit, he looked pretty hot standing up there, with his messy hair and beat up jeans. I'd been planning to get the heck out of here after the last song, which I thought was the last one, but apparently the band had other plans.

"We have a new song out, tell us what you think. See, my girlfriend Bella just broke up with me today—"

My breath caught as every pair of eyes turned to me. My face was on fire—my cheeks were flaming. I looked at Alice for help, but she was gawking at Jacob.

"—and I got sort of inspired. This song's called 'Bella, wait.'"

"Bella, this is insane!" Alice hiss-whispered at me, her eyes bugging out of her sockets. They were glued to Jake, as was everyone else's, with the occasional flickering glances to me.

As if I didn't know that already. Things being insane, I mean. I groaned as more gazes shifted their attention to me. Jasper laughed at my expression. I glared at him menacingly.

The speakers were deafeningly loud, so loud I was surprised my eardrums hadn't shattered. I tried clamping my hands over my ears like a child, but it didn't work. Alice's jaw was halfway to the floor, probably like mine. I could only gape at Jake as the words tumbled out of his mouth.

This was not in my plan. My mind screamed for me to run, but I couldn't do that without tripping, thus attracting _more_ attention to me. I tugged on Jasper's sleeve like a two-year-old.

"Jazz, I'm not feeling so well. Do you mind if we leave?" I pleaded as the band set up the new equipment.

Jasper shook his head. "Are you kidding? Don't you want to hear this?"

"Ag! Jasper, are you that oblivious?"

This captured Alice's attention.

"Bella, what's—"

Before she could finish, the music started. I felt my stomach lurch, warning me this was my last chance. I swallowed my nerves and listened to the beat. The start was actually pretty good. Maybe this wasn't about me at all, and Jake just felt like announcing to the free world about his broken love life.

And then the words came.

_"You had your hold on me, that was fine._

_I had your heart, you had mine._

_You said we were meant to be, always made to last._

_Never wanted this to end._

_But then you turned away, and you start to go._

_Never thought we'd go down this empty road._

_Said I'd be yours forever._

_Well baby that was clever._

_Bella wait!_

_Bella wait!_

_How could you leave me after this?_

_Bella wait!_

_Bella wait!_

_They say ignorance is bliss._

_Gotta prove them wrong._

_Now that you're gone._

_Gone away from me..._

_Thought the bond we had was special._

_Thought the connection we shared was true._

_Guess I never knew the real you._

_Bella wait!_

_Bella wait!_

_How could you leave me after this?_

_Bella wait!_

_Bella wait!_

_They say ignorance is bliss._

_Gotta prove them wrong._

_Now that you're gone._

_Gone away from me..._

_I gave you my heart_

_You split it in two_

_There's not much I can doooo._

_Bella wait!_

_Bella wait!_

_How could you leave me after this?_

_Bella wait!_

_Bella wait!_

_They say ignorance is bliss._

_Gotta prove them wrong._

_Now that you're gone._

_Now that you're gone._

_Gone away from me."_

My head was spinning faster than if I were on _Dizzy Spells_, an amusement park ride that spins you round and round, upside down, making you want to hurl. That's probably the goal—Make Kids Puke.

Now _everyone _was staring, a hundred pairs of eyes on me. (Okay, I'm being a bit overdramatic, but at least I didn't say a million, like a typical teen would.) I was feeling utterly nauseas, angry, and humiliated. How could Jacob do this to me? _How?_

For a moment everyone was quiet. Then the cheering started, and the clapping, followed by chants of "Rock Square! Rock Square! Rock Square!" I pressed my fingers to my temple, trying to block out the noise. It wasn't helping. Alice saw me and started weaving me through the throngs of people, their curious eyes following us like predators. Jasper managed to catch on and came after us. I all but sprinted into the backseat and locked the door after Alice and Jasper were in, breathing in and out. Oh god, oh god, oh _god._ People were starting to peer in through the windows.

"Jasper, step on it!" I cried. We peeled out of the parking lot, Alice's ever excited gaze never leaving mine.

"Bells, that was so incredibly wicked! Did you _see _that? There were record producers there! Jacob totally just scored a deal all because of _you._ I would totally ask for some of the money—I mean, he did say you were his inspiration and—"

"Alice! Can we please just not talk about this and drive?" I was getting a massive headache just thinking about Jacob right now. Had that really happened?

"Um, where am I taking us?" Jasper asked as he drove down the highway.

"My house. Bella's sleeping over," Alice answered for me.

"What?" I gasped.

"Took the words right out of your mouth, didn't I?" She asked me, grinning.

"There is nothing funny about this, Alice!"

"I know that. That's why you're sleeping over, so we can talk about what a jerk your ex-boyfriend is and you can go through the pint of Ben and Jerry's at home. Esme wants it gone by next Thursday."

"Alice, I'm not sleeping over." I had more than enough on my plate without sacrificing my wardrobe to an Alice Extreme Makeover. I just wanted a pillow so I could scream into it, or perhaps a nice warm bubble bath. Or, more preferably, a flight out of the country, to get away from Jake.

"Don't be silly, Bella, of course you are. You think I'm going to let you handle this scandal all by yourself?" She laughed at her rhyming words.

"You're a poet and you didn't even know it," Jasper snickered.

"Hey, you stole that from some TV show!" Alice shrieked.

"Alice! I-I can't sleep over—Charlie won't let me," I pointed out, grabbing onto any safety hazard I could. Excuse, I mean. Any excuse I could.

"Hmm.." she mused. "Well, he'll agree after I'm through with him."

"Alice, don't you dare—"

"Mr. Swan? Hi, this is Alice," Alice had her cell to her ear already. I scowled at her. I could hear Charlie's confused voice over the phone. I tried snatching it from her, but she just grinned at me and leaned toward the window.

"Oh, haha. Well, I was just wondering if Bella could sleep over my house tonight? My parents aren't home and they feel more comfortable when I have a friend over, so I don't have to stay home all alone." I huffed, crossing my arms, as her face lit up at my father's response. I'd lost.

"That's great! Don't worry, we won't stay up till later than one," she winked at me. Another muffled reply from Charlie, and Alice said goodbye and hung up. Jasper was shaking, the car bouncing a bit as he laughed uncontrollably.

"My diabolical, clever pixie," Jasper said, turning to kiss her. _While he was driving!_

"Jasper!" I shouted. How did he _do _that? The car hadn't even swerve! He just chuckled.

"You know, Bella, I could hook you up with that Cullen guy."

"Who?"

"Edward."

My heart sped up at the sound of his name. I blushed, embarrassed of my own stupidity.

"Um, no thanks. I don't like him that way."

Alice scoffed. "We'll talk about your denial later. You're coming to sleep over and that's final."

I put on my best pout face, trying to compete with Alice's and failing miserably. Alice's pout face was like a puppy dog's, but far more convincing. I growled.

"Fine. But I refuse to vent."

"Oh, okay," she laughed musically. Jasper got off the highway, heading toward Alice's house. Alice lived in a _huge_ mansion, complete with iron gates, statues, the whole package. In the driveway was her yellow Porsche, gleaming. I figured that, the way it shone, she'd just had it professionally washed. How sweet must that be, deciding to spend your extra cash on a car-cleanup? All I do with my spare money is save it for gas.

"Thanks for the ride, Jasper," I said as I got out.

"No problem Bella." Jasper said. "Have fun tonight."

I stuck my tongue out at him, but he was looking at Alice.

"See you later, pixie," Jasper said, much quieter, smiling at her. They looked so cute, staring at each other like that. Jasper truly was Alice's other half. She pecked him playfully on the cheek before turning to me, grinning maniacally like she had something big up her sleeve. I backed away slowly.

"Try not to torture Bella too much!" Jasper added before screeching out of sight. Alice waved to him without taking her eyes off me.

"Uh oh." I gulped, preparing myself.

"Oh Bella, don't be such a drama queen."

Hah! Me, a drama queen. Even she had to laugh at how that sounded.

"C'mon! Let's go to my room!" Alice squealed, leading the way through the gates. I trailed after her, trying not to sulk too much.

"Alice, I don't really feel like..." I stopped. Alice looked at me quizzically over her shoulder.

"Don't feel like what?" She prompted, but I shushed her.

"Listen."

Alice kept quiet for about two seconds before saying, "I don't hear anything."

"Shut up then!"

And then she heard it. Her mouth fell open again.

"Is that..."

But she didn't need to finish her sentence, because I already knew what she was going to say. And I knew she was right.

In Alice's backyard, you could see workers—they were fixing the balcony out back, though I didn't know what needed to be fixed. They were also blasting the radio, loud enough for us to hear out front.

A familiar tune started up and they cranked it louder as the music started. The evil DJ, the one that later explained the lyrics to Charlie, announced,

"It's KIX 99.1. We've got a new smash hit by an underdog group, _Rock Square._ You heard it here first, on KIX!"

And then:

_"You had your hold on me, that was fine._

_I had your heart, you had mine."_

It was the beginning of the end of my life.

Another cliffy—I couldn't resist! Mwahhaah what did you think? See that purplish button on the left? Click it! You know you want to! Go on, click it and tell me if you liked this chappie!


	3. Chapter 3

Finally I'm updating again! Sorry for the wait, I've been really busy, and with school starting I'll be even less frequent. APOLOGIES, GROVELS AT YOUR FEET FOR FORGIVENESS! Thanks to those who reviewed. Here's chapter 3!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Time's a funny thing. Whenever you're eager for something to happen and you want it to speed up, it's like everything's in slow-mo. And it's the opposite when you _don't_ want something to happen, like going to the doctor's or something. Time is tricky. And I desperately wished it would slow down.

Monday came like lightning. The sleepover at Alice's had been a disaster, as expected—she wanted me to vent, I rambled a little about how stupid Jacob was, and that was the end of that. Thankfully I managed to escape her big makeover, after finally convincing her that my life sucked enough for one day. And an extra special bonus when I left was that I realized she hadn't mentioned my supposed "denial" that I wasn't falling for Edward. Score!

But Monday came faster than imaginable; completely killing whatever "good" mood I had left. As I stepped into the school, I saw a huge, I mean _huge_ banner hanging off the walls that read: BELLA, WAIT IS ON BILLBOARDS TOP 100! LET'S GO ROCK-SQUARE!

Yeah, after that, I really wished I'd paper-bagged a lunch so I could shove that brown bag over my head. I had passed Jasper's ride offer this morning, figuring it'd be a nice treat for Alice to ride with him alone for once, so I walked to my locker alone. I immediately regretted refusing his offer.

Now, I'm not the most popular girl in the school. I'm known but not one of those social butterflies or gossip girls or a Beautiful Person—I was just Bella. I was normal, so it was very startling to round the corner and see my locker bombarded with people. I didn't know what to do so I just turned around and walked the other way, though I could feel their eyes boring into my back. And, as I said, this was just the beginning.

For the next week, I received stares, random people I hardly knew talking to me, even _gifts_. There was always that someone who asked about Jacob, or Rock Square, and if I had any inside info about the band, feel free to confide. I was ready to chuck myself out a window, let me tell you. I hated attention, especially when I'm likely to fall flat on my face, and this new hit by Jacob was really getting under my skin. I mean, I hadn't even written the stupid thing! Why were people questioning _me_? Why not just ask him, or the band?

I caught up with Alice at lunch one day—the only class we had together, how convenient—and was surprised to see her Jasper-less. But before I could voice my curiosity, she yelled, "This is incredible!"

I looked around nervously as three people stopped what they were doing and stared at us. I groaned and pulled her to a table, where maybe she'd be a little less obvious.

"Um, if by swarming strangers and a should-be-illegal-amount of staring at you means incredible, then yeah." I said, my tone dripping sarcasm. Alice rolled her eyes at me.

"Bella, you're so negative. I would love to be you right now, you lucky duck!"

I choked on my sandwich mid-bite. "Lucky duck? You want to switch places with me? I'd be more than willing, just lead me to your amazing body-reversing machine."

Alice scoffed. "See what I mean? How can you not be loving this? Everyone is suddenly wanting to be you're new best friend! Now, don't forget me while you're off being famous."

It was my turn to scoff. "Famous? That's the craziest thing I've heard yet, and trust me, I've heard a lot of crazy stuff." Like the rumor going around school that I'd cheated on Jacob, was a slut, and kept a list of guys I'd screwed. How's that for famous?

"Bella, look at this as an amazing opportunity, not a bad thing. If this song jets to the American Top 40 like I know it will, this is just the beginning. Think of the coolness! Free products, maybe a few backstage passes to concerts...maybe we'll even be able to meet Zac Efron! I bet he'd love to meet the core of 'Bella, Wait!'"

"Ugh, you're blowing this way out of proportion, Alice. First off, I'm never getting famous. This whole thing is ridiculous. Second, Zac Efron is not my type—I'd have him meet _you_, Bella's best friend."

Alice squealed. "You'd be the best best friend ever! But I'm just saying—don't underestimate this. I bet you all my makeup this'll be _huge_. Just wait, Bella, just wait."

I shrugged. I wasn't willing to bet against Alice yet. I could only hope she was wrong.

Of course I should've known better.

--

After school was out I trudged to my toasty red truck and headed to my pitiful job. I got the familiar tingly feeling as I spotted Edward's silver Volvo in the parking lot. I squeezed in next to his and a large blue van and put on my work apron. It had a picture of a coffee mug and the words SUNSHINE COWS floating in the steam above. I sighed. The name was bad enough—couldn't the person who owned it create a logo a little more original?

The door's bells played as I opened it, signaling a customer, or in my case, worker, had arrived. Edward didn't notice me until I wedged behind the customer desk. He acknowledged me with a nod, never taking his eyes off the big bag of coffee beans he was pouring into the coffee maker. I stifled a sigh. I usually supplied the opening to our conversation.

"Hey Edward. Did Crazy Tracy come yet?" I asked, smiling. Crazy Tracy was a customer that came every other day at around the time my shift started, always ordering the same black iced coffee. She moved the business along.

"Nah, you didn't miss her this time," Edward replied, still filling the coffee maker. When he didn't say anything more, I turned to the radio, wrinkling my nose. It was some cheesy pop station. I fooled around the with the stations a little, upping the volume, and settled on what I thought was an innocent one—Luv 101.6. I mouthed the words to some songs as I served the customers, smiling at Edward once in a while. He smiled back and didn't change the station, making my smile grow. When I'd first signed to the job, Edward had told me we weren't supposed to play with the radio—at the time he had a horrid jazz theme, not even good enough for background music. So, after him informing me, I waited a few minutes before changing it to my previous favorite station, KIX 99.1.

"Bella, are you doing anything on Thursday?" Edward asked suddenly. No one was at the counter now, so I was busy restocking out napkin supply. I froze as I processed his words.

"I was just wondering because that's when I usually work, but my cousin's wedding is scheduled, so I just thought that maybe you could fill in, you know. Not that you have to, because I understand if you're busy or something, but if you aren't, you know, I'd appreciate it." Edward explained quickly after I didn't respond right away.

I let out my breath, not realizing I'd sucked it in, and tried to hide my disappointment.

"Um, sure, no problem," I said.

"Thanks, it means a lot to me," Edward told me. We lapsed into a comfortable silence after that. I was reaching for some cups under the counter when my eyes caught sight of Edward's work folder. I took it out, curious. On the front was a beautiful collage of bands and song lyrics, perfectly glued so there was no paper edged sticking up. I felt a warm feeling spread through me—I _loved_ making collages. My mom says I got that artistic side from her, but Charlie says he was creative when he was my age, so I'm not sure. Without thinking, I took it out from under and set it on the counter. Edward noticed what I was doing and quickly snatched the folder away from me.

"Hey! I was looking at that," I protested. Edward was blushing hard, trying to file the folder away.

"It's really beautiful, you know. The collage, I mean. I didn't know you were that...inventive. I do collages too."

"Oh, it's nothing, just something I do in my spare time." Edward said, hastily settling on throwing it behind him. I laughed as his blush reddened.

"I didn't know you made collages," he said after a moment. "Why didn't you say something?"

"You never asked," I replied simply.

"I guess we don't know a lot about each other, then," Edward mused. It looked like he was about to say something else when some teenage girls stormed in, laughter echoing in the small Shoppe. They were giggling and whispering, eyeing Edward without so much as glancing at me. I wasn't surprised—just a bit annoyed that they'd interrupted Edward and my conversation.

The group came toward us, still hissing to each other.

"Can I help you?" I asked politely, as Edward had stepped in the back to retrieve more bags of coffee.

"Um, we're sort of still deciding," A small brunette snapped at me. I knew she was lying—they were just waiting for Edward to reappear, so he'd take their order. I nodded at them and turned to scowl.

Edward came out again, blushing when he saw the intimidating gaggle of girls. I felt queasy as they batted their long eyelashes at him. When they'd left, I let out a sigh and turned the radio higher. Music always cheered me up.

Except that was when the song came on. Bella, Wait was apparently hitting _all_ airwaves. I groaned as Edward smirked at me before switching the station. I smiled at him gratefully.

And then it struck me as odd that, as many people who'd treated me differently and swarmed around my locker, he wasn't one of them. And how everyone in school had tried to be my best friend, and he didn't seem to care.

Ooh! So you finally saw them together. Don't worry, they'll be interacting more, so have patience! Review and tell me what you think, they really keep me going and make me update faster. WINKIE!!


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